Wed. Feb 27
Tour and walk day.
We dilly dallied around the room til mid morning. Our hectic schedule caught up with us. When we finally got organized we drove to the south west corner of the park. We stopped at the visitor center at Castelon and talked with the volunteer. There wasn't much there, and it felt isolated. Four miles of desert road past the ranger station is the trailhead for Santa Elena Canyon. We walked across the wide dry bed of Terlingua creek. The trail climbed in switchbacks over a hill then gradually descended to the river in the canyon.it was perfect weather, and a beautiful trail. I was gloriously happy to be walking. But we had more places to go. Our next stop was the Dorgan-Sublett places, the ruins of the ranch houses. We ate our lunch of ham and cheese sandwich and yogurt in the ruins of the lower house, then walked up the Mesa to the upper Sublett house and the Dorgan house. The front wall of the Dorgan house remains, with windows looking out on mountains. Also remaining is a double fireplace made of petrified wood. It must have been beautiful in the house with that fireplace.
We continued on back up the Castelon Road toward home in the Chisos, stopping at different viewpoints. We walked again at Burro Mesa pour off. That was a mistake, we were walking on a dry gravel creekbed into a box canyon. The gravel was thick and gave under our feet like sand, so was hard walking. The canyon kept twisting. We would approach a corner, sure this would be the last turn and we would see the end of the canyon, but there would be yet another turn. We finally gave up and trudged back to the car. We also walked at the Sam Nail place. A windmill there creates a little oasis. We saw a cardinal in the brush. Dinner at the lodge with sunset, moon, and panoramic photography (playing with settings on the cameras). In the visitor center there was a display of a huge mountain lion. At the trailhead to the best sunset viewing spot there were signs warning of lion activity. I decided to make my photos from the sidewalk.
Thurs Feb 28
We calculated that we didn't need to leave the park until12p to arrive in Fredricksburg in time for dinner. So off we went one last time. First stop was Lost Mine trail at the highest point of the park road. The trail climbed up for a mile to a gorgeous lookout spot. We climbed on some rocks and photographed each other in silly poses. Weren't quite up to doing yogi balancing poses on the narrow ridge, though. Then we drove to the easternmost part of the park to explore Borquillos canyon. The trail climbs over a little hill before descending to the river. A young man sat on a small bluff on the Mexican side singing to the hikers, hoping for contributions in a jar on the American side. We walked into the pretty canyon until we ran out of trail, then returned.
We drove north out of the park through the rough desert, stopped to chat with the border patrol, and arrived back in civilization at Stockton, where we stopped to make silly pictures with the artwork in the visitor center. Then 300 miles of I 10 to an exit an hour west of Fredricksburg. The last hour was fun, driving in the Texas hill country. We drove along the YO game ranch, spotting exotic animals, kept for the hunters. (I know....mixed feeling there, but it was fun to see them.....like a drive through zoo).
Fredricksburg is a German tourist town, and we had the choice of many different German restaurants. By the time we got settled in and ready for dinner, it was 8pm, and the town was pretty much rolled up. We ate at Der Lindenbaum. Bobbi had schnitzel, I had goulash with noodles. (I still can't look at a schnitzel after my trip through Austria and Switzerland in 2008!)
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